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| - Falafel alert! Falafel alert!
I rarely make it to this side of town, so when I was in the hood I wasn't sure where to eat. Thank goodness for this thing called Yelp. Based on the reviews, we decided to try Olive.
I will admit that when I walked in I was afraid yelpers had been reviewing the party quotient and perhaps not the food, as the atmosphere was dark, bar-like and a little rough around the edges. My expectation for the food was low based on the atmosphere. It seemed like a great place for a Friday night throw down, but perhaps not for a weekday lunch. They have beer pong, pool, and an expansive hookah room.
I almost didn't order falafel, as I was pretty sure I would be disappointed. However, I couldn't resist, so I ended up with falafel and a baba ganoush. The baba ganoush arrived on the scene with a basket of pita. I expected average pita to be lurking in that basket, but boy was I wrong! There were warm, pillowy pockets of divine dough... soft and fresh. As soon as I snuck may hand into the basket and retrieved a pita, I knew things were gonna be real good. Seriously, the pita is probably the softest in town. The baba was excellent with the right balance of creaminess and smokiness.
Now, for the falafel. I had the appetizer plate and my husband had ordered the "sandwich." When his hit the table, I thought "oh no" because it was in a wrap and pressed, not in a pita. However, this presentation ended up being brilliant- the perfect vehicle for delivering falafel, like a falafel burrito! When I cut into my piping hot bean ball, my eyes lit up because I saw green! Prior to this, I had not seen a falafel in Vegas with parsley and/or cilantro to give it a nice green color. The falafel was a great consistency, and the flavor was pretty delicious. They may have been a tad salty, but overall, I was impressed. Perhaps it was because my expectations had been low, but I really want to go back and try them again. They are a strong contender.
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